Movie legend Robert Redford has said his next film will be the last he will act in.

The star of Butch Cassidy And The Sundance Kid, The Sting and Out Of Africa, told Entertainment Weekly his new movie, The Old Man & The Gun, will likely be his last acting job.

Redford, 81, said: "Never say never, but I pretty well concluded that this would be it for me in terms of acting, and (I'll) move towards retirement after this because I've been doing it since I was 21.

"I thought, well, that's enough. And why not go out with something that's very upbeat and positive?" he added, confirming he planned to stick to the retirement plan he first announced in 2016.

Image:Redford and actor Brad Pitt shooting the 2001 film Spy Game

In The Old Man & The Gun, Redford plays Forrest Tucker, a real-life bank robber and career convict, who escaped from prison multiple times - including once in a kayak - and went on to commit further robberies.

"To me, that was a wonderful character to play at this point in my life...The thing that really got me about him - which I hope the film shows - is he robbed 17 banks and he got caught 17 times and went to prison 17 times," he said.

Image:Receiving the Presidential Medal of Freedom from US President Barack Obama

"But he also escaped 17 times. So it made me wonder: I wonder if he was not averse to getting caught so he that could enjoy the real thrill of his life, which is to escape?" he added

Elisabeth Moss, Sissy Spacek, Casey Affleck and Danny Glover also appear in the film, which is due to be released on 28 September.

However, Redford, who won a Best Director Oscar for his 1980 directing debut, Ordinary People, refused to say whether he would continue to work behind the camera, saying: "We'll see about that."

Image:Redford starred alongside Michelle Pfeiffer in 1996's Up Close and Personal

His movie career, which spanned almost 60 years, began in 1962 with War Hunt, and he became a star in 1969, thanks to Butch Cassidy And The Sundance Kid, in which he formed a memorable partnership with Paul Newman.